1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article of manufacture for controlling invertebrate pest behavior generally, and, more particularly, to an article of manufacture for preventing Asian lady beetles and similar other insects from gaining entrance to dwellings and similar other building structures and the methods of using/manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The lady bug, commonly referred to as the Asian lady beetle, is a pest as well as a beneficial organism. Admittedly, Asian lady beetles become xe2x80x9cpestsxe2x80x9d mainly by their presence in unwanted areas as is the case in dwelling infestations or infestations in similar other building structures. It is noted that Asian lady beetles generally do not feed on or damage anything in the traditional home and, further, do not generally bite people or pets, do not infest stored food and do not destroy household furnishings. Asian lady beetles generally do not carry diseases harmful to humans or pets, nor do they usually breed indoors. However, when large numbers of Asian lady beetles take up residence in a dwelling or similar other building structure, they will crawl over walls, windows, light fixtures and most any other surface, thus becoming a nuisance. It will be seen that the sheer number of Asian lady beetles which may infest a dwelling or similar other building structure can become highly problematic, thus leading to a need for controlling these pests.
Because the Asian lady beetle is a tree-dwelling insect, dwellings and similar other building structures situated in forested areas are especially prone to infestation. Suburban and landscaped industrial settings adjacent to wooded areas have also had large Asian lady beetle aggregations. Asian lady beetles congregate in large numbers during the late fall rather than disperse to spend the winter (overwinter) individually under bark or in leaf litter, as do most other lady beetles. Asian lady beetles prefer to cluster on the sides of dwellings and similar other building structures, eventually working their way into the building through small cracks or crevices, or natural breaks in the window panes, door jams or foundations as the temperatures decrease. Essentially, the congregating Asian lady beetles are seeking a suitable place to overwinter. Once inside the building, Asian lady beetles hibernate, until the first warm days of late winter or early spring, when they seem to come to life again and begin crawling about.
Asian lady beetles tend to be attracted to lighter colored buildings and especially to those that are illuminated by the sun (typically the south or southwest side of a given building structure). Darker colored buildings or buildings in the shade are less likely to encounter Asian lady beetle infestation. After spending the winter months tucked away in a wall void or other secluded place, becoming active in late winter, Asian lady beetles often find themselves inside the dwelling rather than outside. At this time Asian lady beetles tend to begin seeking an escape to the out-of-doors. This reawakening may take place over several weeks, depending on temperatures and the size of the population.
Once Asian lady beetles have established themselves in the dwelling or similar other building structure, there are not many treatment options. However, it is well known that prevention of Asian lady beetle infestation is perhaps the best of all treatment options, which is best achieved in the autumn. To help prevent Asian lady beetles, cluster flies, box elder bugs (and other pests of the sort having similar infestation habits) from entering dwellings and similar other building structures in the autumn, most experts in the pertinent art have recommended applying or spraying fast-acting, residual synthetic pyrethroids around eaves, attic vents, windows, doors, under-fascia lips, soffits, siding (including under lips) and any other possible points of entry, concentrating on the south and southwest sides. Further, known mechanical means of preventing Asian lady beetles and habitually similar other pests include sealing cracks and utility service openings with caulk, fixing broken window screens and door jams, plugging cracks in the foundation or roof as well as similar exclusion-type activities which help prevent the entry of Asian lady beetles into the dwelling or similar other building structure.
The state of the art, however, has proved largely ineffectual in preventing Asian lady beetles and habitually similar other pests from entering and infesting a dwelling. Residual sprays, having been applied to dwellings or building structures quickly become ineffectual due to environmental conditions. Further, spraying dwellings and similar other building structures with pesticide often results in large quantities of pesticide being wasted. Further, implementing fully effectual mechanical means of exclusion (eg: tightly screening windows, louvers, air vents, and tightly caulking all cracks around windows, chimneys, trim, splits and holes in siding) can be very time consuming and expensive.
What is needed therefore is a more efficient, inexpensive, less time consuming method or article for preventing Asian lady beetles and habitually similar other pests from entering a dwelling or building structure. In this regard, an article that places an effective amount of pesticide adjacent to points of entry would be useful, particularly for homeowners/business owners who are desirous of keeping windows and siding free from excess pesticide. Further, an article that decreases the potential amount of excess pesticide that may come into contact with passersby would be greatly beneficial.
It is noted that the prior art is replete with examples of inventive solutions for controlling general pest or insect behavior. Among these inventions are many disclosures, which teach the use of pesticide-impregnated or repellent-impregnated fabrics to repel insects from the fabric. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 279,852, which issued to Atkins, discloses a bale band or tie treated with an insect repelling composition to render the same insect proof, substantially as described in the specification of this patent. Further, in this vein, U.S. Pat. Nos. 339,810; 676,375; 2,555,330; 2,564,663; and 2,768,927 all disclose fabric impregnated with various types of specific insect repelling compositions.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,756, which issued to Geary, discloses an Insect Combatting Device. This invention teaches a device comprising a flexible sheet backing, a normally tacky, pressure sensitive adhesive untied to one surface of said backing, an absorptive layer united to the other surface of said backing and a layer containing an insect attractant and an insecticide united to said absorptive layer, which layer is preferably of a tacky/sticky nature so as to entangle the attracted insect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,982 (""982 Patent), which issued to Ronning et al., discloses an Insect Control Device. This invention comprises alternatively woven or non-woven group of fibers, which fibers have a sustained release insect control agent self-adhered thereto. The compositions and device disclosed control insect activity by providing an effective level of the control agent in the area where control is desired for an extended period of time. The desired area of control is essentially left open-ended. The fibers are of a specific type as outlined in the ""982 Patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,580, which issued to Shober et al., discloses a Method of Pest Control. This invention teaches a netting impregnated with insect repellent, which netting is then positioned around the area to be protected, such as a pillow, mattress, or domestic pet bed. The specific application is designed to control the movement of house dust mites.
There are further several uncovered United States Patents, which teach the use of color to attract insects. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,695, which issued to Walker, discloses a Device for Controlling Crawling or Flying Insects. This invention comprises brightly colored luminescent paint to attract insects. Further U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,087, which issued to Chu et al., discloses a Whitefly Trap. This invention does not require bait or adhesive but does utilize the principle of attracting insects through the use of color, in this case the color yellow.
It is noted after a review of the prior art, however, that none of the prior art patents teach the use of pesticide-impregnated, felt-like fabric for adhesive attachment to dwellings or building structures adjacent to points of entry, which fabric is specifically colored to attracts pest to the fabric for contact treatment thereof and the accordant prevention of dwelling infestation.
Accordingly, one objective of the present invention is to provide an article of manufacture for controlling general invertebrate pest behavior. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an article of manufacture for controlling habitually similar behaviors of pests classified under the Class Insecta, and particularly those pests of the Families Coccinellidae, Calliphoridae, and Rhopalidae. In this last regard, another objective of the present invention is to provide an article of manufacture for controlling pest behavior, which includes dwelling or building structure infestation by way of pest aggregation and eventual entry through structural points of entry. Most specifically, the present invention provides an article of manufacture for controlling Asian lady beetle, cluster fly and boxelder bug behavior. In this regard, a further objective of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive article of manufacture for controlling the stated pest behavior. Yet another of objective of the present invention is to provide an article of manufacture which may be easily attached to dwellings and/or other building structures adjacent to points of entry for preventing Asian lady beetles and habitually similar pests from gaining entrance to the dwelling or building structure. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a specifically colored article of manufacture for attracting Asian lady beetles and habitually similar pests. Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a contact treatment article of manufacture, which directly deposits pesticide on attracted Asian lady beetles and habitually similar pests for preventing the pests from gaining entrance to outfitted dwellings and building structures. In this regard, it is a further objective of the present invention to provide an article which exposes an effective yet minimal amount of residual pesticide for achieving contact treatment, which greatly improves upon safety considerations paramount in residual spray applications. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide methods of using/manufacturing the disclosed article for controlling the stated pest behavior.
To attain these objectives, the claimed invention generally comprises the combination of a length of fibrous felt fabric and a plurality of evenly spaced adhesive strips. The length of fibrous felt fabric is designed for adhesive attachment to the dwelling or similar building structure adjacent to points of entry and the evenly spaced adhesive strips are designed for adhesively attaching the fibrous felt fabric in snug adjacency to the building structure. The fabric is saturated with at least one pesticide composition and left to dry. The fabric has outwardly extending fibers for entangling the legs of Asian lady beetles or habitually similar pests attempting to gain entrance to the dwelling or building structure by maneuvering across the fabric to points of entry. These outwardly extending fibers thus directly deposit pesticide composition on the Asian lady beetles or habitually similar pests for preventing them from gaining entrance to the building structure. Additionally, the evenly spaced adhesive strips each have a strip thickness of about {fraction (1/32)}-inch for attaching the fabric in snug adjacency to the dwelling or building structure. The snugly adjacent fabric thus further physically contacts Asian lady beetles and habitually similar pests attempting to gain entrance to the dwelling or building structure by maneuvering between the fabric and the building structure. By physically contacting the Asian lady beetles or habitually similar pests, the fabric further directly deposits pesticide composition on the pests to further prevent pests from gaining entrance to the building structure. Importantly, the fabric is brilliantly colored or has highly light reflective coloration for attracting the Asian lady beetles and habitually similar pests to the pesticide-impregnated fabric for contact treatment.